Calcium phosphates are the principal constituent of hard tissues (bone, cartilage, tooth enamel and dentine). Naturally-occurring bone mineral is made of nanometer-sized, poorly-crystalline calcium phosphate with hydroxyapatite structure. However, unlike the ideal stoichiometric crystalline hydroxyapatite, Ca.sub.10 (PO.sub.4).sub.6 (OH).sub.2, with atomic Ca/P ratio of 1.67, the composition of bone mineral is significantly different and may be represented by the following formulae, EQU Ca.sub.8.3 (PO.sub.4).sub.4.3 (HPO.sub.4,CO.sub.3).sub.1.7 (OH, CO.sub.3).sub.0.3.
Bone mineral non-stoichiometry is primarily due to the presence of divalent ions, such as CO.sub.3.sup.2- and HPO.sub.4.sup.3- which are substituted for the trivalent PO.sub.4.sup.3- ions. Substitution by HPO.sub.4.sup.3- and CO.sub.3.sup.2- ions produces a change of the Ca/P ratio, resulting in Ca/P ratio which may vary between 1.50 to 1.70, depending on the age and bony site. Generally, the Ca/P ratio increases during aging of bone, suggesting that the amount of carbonate species typically increases for older bones.
It is the Ca/P ratio in conjunction with nanocrystalline size and the poorly-crystalline nature that yields specific solubility property of the bone minerals. And because bone tissues undergo constant tissue repair regulated by the mineral-resorbing cells (Osteoclasts) and mineral-producing cells (Osteoblasts), solubility behavior of minerals is important in maintaining a delicate metabolic balance between these cell activities.
Synthetic bone graft material made to closely resemble natural bone minerals can be a useful replacement for natural bone. Acceptable synthetic bone can avoid the problem of availability and harvesting of autogenous bone (patient's own bone) and the risks and complications associated with allograft bone (bone from a cadaver), such as risks of viral transmission. Consequently, there has been considerable attempts to synthesize a ceramic material which closely resembles natural bone for use as implants. Hydroxyapatite is the preferred choice because, although it is a stoichiometric, crystalline form with generally larger crystal sizes, it is chemically closest to the naturally occurring mineral in bone.
An ideal synthetic bone graft should possess a minimum of following four properties: (1) it should be chemically biocompatible like hydroxyapatite; (2) it should provide some degree of structural integrity in order to keep the graft in place and intact until the patient's own bone heals around it; (3) it should be a soluble form to permit resorption so that the patient's own bone replace the foreign hydroxyapatite; and, (4) because it may be necessary to incorporate biomolecules, such as bone growth proteins that can stimulate bone-forming osteoblast cells, into the synthetic bone material, it is desirable that the process used to form the material be carried out at low temperatures. Most bone growth proteins (such as Bone Morphogenetic Proteins) are heat sensitive and lose their bioactivity at temperatures exceeding body temperatures.
Fulfillment of these requirements may be accomplished by a material in which parameters, such as Ca/P ratios, crystal size, crystallinity, porosity, density, thermal stability and material purity are controlled.
The prior art (LeGeros R. Z., in Calcium Phosphates in Oral Biology and Medicine, Karger Pub. Co., New York, 1991) teaches that highly crystalline form of hydroxyapatite is produced by solution precipitation followed by sintering at high temperatures (800.degree.-1200.degree. C.). High temperature treatment yields highly stoichiometric hydroxyapatite with crystal sizes on the order of several microns with Ca/P of 1.67. Such highly crystalline hydroxyapatite has an extremely low solubility rendering it essentially insoluble in the host tissue. Therefore, it is not replaced by living bone tissue and it remains intact in the patient for an undesirably extended period.
The prior art further teaches that hydroxyapatite is produced by a solid-state acid-base reaction of primarily crystalline calcium phosphate reactants. Such an approach results in materials that are sometimes poorly reacted, inhomogeneous and which have a significant crystalline hydroxyapatite content.
Constantz in U.S. Pat. No. 4,880,610 reports on the preparation of calcium phosphate minerals by the reaction of a highly concentrated phosphoric acid with a calcium source in the presence of a base and hydroxyapatite crystals. The resultant product is a polycrystalline material containing a crystalline form of hydroxyapatite minerals. Likewise, Constantz et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,053,212 discloses the use of a powdered acid source to improve the workability and mixability of the acid/base mixture; however, a mixed-phase calcium phosphate material similar to that of U.S. Pat. No. 4,880,610 is reported. Recently, Constantz et al. reported in Science (Vol. 267, pp. 1796-9 (24 Mar. 1995)) the formation of a carbonated apatite from the reaction of monocalcium phosphate monohydrate, Beta-tricalcium phosphate, Alpha-tricalcium phosphate, and calcium carbonate in a sodium phosphate solution, to provide a calcium phosphate material which is still substantially more crystalline in character than naturally occurring bone minerals.
Similarly, Brown et al. in U.S. Reissue No. 33,221 report on the reaction of crystalline tetracalcium phosphate (Ca/P of 2.0) with acidic calcium phosphates. Liu et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 5,149,368 discloses the reaction of crystalline calcium phosphate salts with an acidic citrate.
All of these prior art references discloses a chemical reaction resulting in crystalline form of hydroxyapatite solids that has been obtained by reacting crystalline solids of calcium phosphate. There has been little reported on the use of amorphous calcium phosphates (Ca/P of approximately 1.5) as one of the reactant because the amorphous calcium phosphates are the least understood solids among the calcium phosphates and the conventional amorphous calcium phosphate is largely considered to be inert and non-reactive solid.
The only mention of the amorphous calcium phosphate material in prior art has focused on the use of the amorphous calcium phosphate as a direct precursor to the formation of a highly crystalline hydroxyapatite compounds under generally high temperature treatments. Such a highly crystalline material is inappropriate for synthetic bone because it is highly insoluble under physiological conditions.
For example, Palmer et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 4,849,193 report the formation of crystalline hydroxyapatite powder by reacting an acidic calcium phosphate solution with a calcium hydroxide solution, with both solutions near saturation, so as to form an amorphous hydroxyapatite precipitate powder. The amorphous powder is then immediately dried and sintered at high temperature of 700.degree.-1100.degree. C. to obtain a very high crystalline hydroxyapatite. Brown et al. in U.S. Pat. No. Re 33,221 report on the formation of crystalline hydroxyapatite for dental cement by reacting an amorphous phase specifically restricted to tetracalcium phosphate (Ca/P of 2.0) with at least one of the more acidic calcium phosphates. Further, Brown et al., does not disclose the preparation or the properties of such a tetracalcium phosphate in amorphous state. Tung in U.S. Pat. No. 5,037,639 discloses the use and application of standard amorphous calcium phosphate paste for the remineralization of teeth. Tung proposes the use of standard inert amorphous calcium phosphate mixed with and delivered through as a chewing gum, mouth rinse or toothpaste, which upon entering oral fluids converts to crystalline fluoride containing hydroxyapatite which is useful to remineralize tooth enamel. Simkiss in PCT/GB93/01519 describes the use of inhibitors, such as Mg ions or pyrophosphate, mixed with amorphous calcium phosphate and implanted into living tissues. Upon leaching of, for example Mg ions, into surrounding bodily fluids, the amorphous calcium-magnesium phosphate converts into crystalline hydroxyapatite.
There remains a need to develop new synthetic bone material that more closely mimics the properties of naturally-occurring minerals in bone. In particular, there remains a need to provide synthetic bone materials which are completely bioresorbable, poorly-crystalline, nanometer-sized crystals which can be formed at low temperatures.